Archive article: https://archive.is/SyLKE a 2019 GOP strategy meeting in the small town of Rockbridge, Ohio, attended by billionaires and media personalities including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, hedge fund manager Rebekah Mercer, and economist Oren Cass. The attendees formed the “Rockbridge Network,” a GOP strategy network helmed by conservative venture capitalist Chris Buskirk, whose aim is to build a MAGA movement that outlasts Donald Trump by letting business leaders shape American policy.
Anecdotal, but from my time in school most people actually did. AP US history was the straw that broke the camel’s back for all of the stu-co honors society top 15 kids I had that class with. The most hated class, just absolutely whinging about the sheer onerousness of the exam and study guide. My theory has always been their heads were already full to the brim with memorizing the physics and maths and other classes’ materials. History is just too much to memorize and regurgitate like that, it requires thinking, and a lot of it. I came away from that experience with the understanding that a lot of people fucking hate thinking any more than they have to, even (or especially) a-political folks. Loved that class, we had an excellent teacher too. S-tier teacher, really cool guy.
Thinking involves discovering new experiences and feelings, some of which may be uncomfortable or troubling if uncovered or undertaken in contexts in which we do not feel secure, since our survival instinct may in many cases outpace our adapted ability to draw knowledge from our families and peers to glean insight into the general best practices or possible outcomes when attempting new activities or procedures for navigating or contributing to our world/society. Many people live and die by fear, never finding true rest or feeling a complete sense of peace for more than mere moments, at the edges of their more conscious experiences.